WTUA 106.1 FM makes switch to Stags football

Josh Simmons returns an interception during Berkeley’s 21-20 win over Timberland in 2012. The Stags and Wolves line up at Berkeley on Sept. 27. FILE PHOTO

Beginning this fall Berkeley Stags football will be back on the air on Friday nights.After eight seasons of broadcasting Timberland Wolves football, WTUA 106.1 FM has made the switch to the Stags Nation.“We’ve had a great deal of success broadcasting Timberland Wolves football,” said station manager and program director Lula Greene. “We’ve been a part of the Timberland family for eight seasons. We were there when we went to Williams-Brice for the first time and came away empty, and we were there when they won it all.”The St. Stephen urban inspirational format radio station is eyeing an eventual move to Moncks Corner, and sees switching to Berkeley Stags football as the next logical step in the station’s sports programming lineup.“We’re very excited to become a part of the Berkeley Stags family and be able to broadcast Berkeley Stags football,” Greene said. “Berkeley has great tradition and a very rich program, and we’re excited to be a part of that.”The broadcast team of Tim Atkins and Wayne White will remain the same with the addition of longtime Berkeley radio announcer Craig Mims to the mix. Atkins will provide the play-by-play with Mims and White teaming up on color commentary. The specific logistics of the broadcast booth have yet to be ironed out, but the radio team will be ready for the BHS season opener against Stratford on Aug. 30.“We’re very excited to be back on the radio again this fall with WTUA,” said Berkeley athletic director and coach Jeff Cruce. “With its rich and storied tradition, Berkeley football is the premier football program in Berkeley County and we’re excited about teaming up with 106.1 FM this fall.”Atkins, who trades his Timberland orange for Berkeley blue this fall, said being a Stag is about tradition.“To have the opportunity to be a part of the broadcast team for Berkeley High football is just such an incredible honor,” he said. “Berkeley's tradition speaks for itself. My mother, Elma Atkins, was a majorette and my Uncle Buddy played football at Berkeley back in the '50's.“I have strong family ties in Moncks Corner, so it is very familiar territory to me.”The move to Berkeley though does come with regret. Atkins said he is leaving good friends behind at Timberland.“We had such a blast covering Timberland the last eight years,” he said. “We got to broadcast some incredible games, including two state championships.”Atkins can’t wait for Sept. 6 when Berkeley will play host to Summerville. Included in the night’s festivities will be the induction of the 2013 Class of the Berkeley Athletics Hall of Fame. “I am really looking forward to covering my first Berkeley/Summerville game this season,” he said. “When you think of high school rivalries in South Carolina this has to be one of the oldest and most intense.”The Stags open on Aug. 30 on the road against Stratford. Berkeley and Timberland go head-to-head in their annual rivalry game on Sept. 27 in Moncks Corner.

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